Two clouds (one that looks to me like a bunny) tethered to each other; my view from the front door. No rain today but it’s freezing in the shade and only slightly warmer in the weak winter sun.
☁️☁️☁️
It was the kind of March day when the sun shines hot,
and the wind blows cold,
when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.
–Charles Dickens from Great Expectations
The setting sun around the lagoon was especially exquisite. It was dark by 5pm, oh my.
Does it look chilly? It was.
The forecasted 60% chance of rain dwindled to 20% and we didn’t even get a single drop, but the clouds were spectacular.
We had rain, hardly enough to do anything but wet the street and sidewalk. After, the sky was painted with spectacular clouds and bonus moon sightings!
At the lagoon.
After the lagoon, walking up the hill, homeward bound.
#WordlessWednesday
According to the weather report, showers are likely, mainly after 11pm. Today will be mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of precipitation. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch are possible.
That doesn’t sound like very much rain but it will be welcomed in this very dry March.
I looked up to see a sky full of clouds that look like something my grandma would have crocheted, a dresser scarf or table doily, two things nobody really decorates with anymore. I have layers of them in the cedar chest, nestled between sheets of perfumed tissue paper.
Sky!
Our sky is as blue as the bluest tropical ocean. For me, this cloud formation evokes a raft reminiscent of Kon-Tiki or a painting by an Impressionist artist.
Do you see the same shape or am I totally wrong?
At the time I looked up, Blue Bayou was playing in my ears. Synchronicity, anyone?
I know Billie Holliday did it first, but I don’t think it could compare to Linda Ronstadt’s version:
On November 19, 2021 (late evening of the 18th in some time zones), the Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth, creating a partial lunar eclipse so deep that it can reasonably be called almost total.
I love all phases of the moon but a full moon is particularly beautiful, don’t you agree?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. In this eclipse, up to 99.1% of the Moon’s disk will be within Earth’s umbra.
During the eclipse, the Moon moves through the western part of the constellation Taurus, my own sign, so I’m excited about that!
The same phenomenon that makes our sky blue and our sunsets red causes the Moon to turn red during a lunar eclipse. It’s called Rayleigh scattering.
Light travels in waves, and different colors of light have different physical properties. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and is scattered more easily by particles in Earth’s atmosphere than red light, which has a longer wavelength. Red light, on the other hand, travels more directly through the atmosphere.
When the Sun is overhead, we see blue light throughout the sky. But when the Sun is setting, sunlight must pass through more atmosphere and travel farther before reaching our eyes. The blue light from the Sun scatters away, and longer-wavelength red, orange, and yellow light passes through.
I hope for a clear sky tonight. In Southern California, the eclipse will begin at 10:02 p.m. on Thursday and will last for a little over six hours, the longest one since the 1400s.
Info curated from SciTechDaily
I received an email yesterday about the International Space Station:
Starting at 8:48 PM, if clouds and smoke permit, you’ll see the International Space Station over San Diego moving from SW to NE until 8:54 P.M.
I set my alarm for 8:45 to give me (hopefully) enough time to try and figure out where southwest and northeast IS, as I’m directionally challenged.
It was clear at 8:45 with a few planes and some stars just starting to sparkle in the not-quite-completely-dark sky.
I looked up, scanning all around because I still couldn’t figure out where SW was, even though I know the ocean is WEST.
Ahh, there it was, right on time, the brightest white light, swiftly moving across the sky, high above the other aircraft. I followed the trajectory of the International Space Station until it was too far away to see.
And that’s the kind of thing that make me very happy.
I learned a bit about the ISS from Wiki:
The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular space station (habitable artificial satellite) in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: USA, Russia, Japan, Europe, and Canada. The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements. The station serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific research is conducted. (Photo courtesy of Wiki)
Ah, proof there are still glittery sprinkles of enchantment in my little world. Or maybe more accurately; otherwordly.
I was diligently washing the deck yesterday, fully immersed in my terra firma (not on a ladder) project, looking down as I scrubbed the redwood planks before they dried in the sunshine. I can’t exactly recall why I looked up but I am SO GLAD I DID I because this rare and beautiful sight made me gasp: a rain’ess rainbow! I noted the time: it was close to high noon.
Check out my Sun Dog/Sun Bow!
They are iridescent rainbow clouds without a drop of rain in sight. This phenomenon is known as cloud iridescence or irisation. It’s a type of photometeor.
The term “sun dog” (or mock sun) originates from Greek mythology. It was believed the god Zeus walked his dogs across the sky and that the bright “false suns” in the sky on either side of the sun’s disk were the dogs.
A sundog is seen about 22° to the left or right of the Sun. Sundogs often form in pairs on either side of the Sun. Often they appear white but sometimes they are quite colorful, looking like patches of rainbow. The colors usually go from red closest to the Sun, out to blue on the outside of the sundog.
Probably the biggest difference between a sundog and a rainbow is that a rainbow usually signals an end to rain, while a sundog can mean that rain or snow is on the way. Next time you see a sundog, look out for wet weather! https://www.almanac.com/what-are-sundogs#
However, here in very DRY Southern California, there is no moisture in the forecast.
The rainbow always held special significance among the different Native American Indian Nations. It is connected to the Spirit (Supreme God/Creator/Source/All-That-Is) in all things. There are many prophecies and stories from the Cree, the Hopi, the Zuni, and the Cherokee related to the rainbow warriors.
One source says: “While meteorologists have a physical understanding of the circular rainbow around the sun, wisdom keepers of the Americas and Tibet have complementary spiritual understandings about this dramatic omen around the Sun which is known as the Whirling Rainbow or the Sunbow.”
For some native people, the Sunbow or Whirling Rainbow is considered to be a sign from Creator, marking a time of great change, or transition on the Earth. This full-circle rainbow around the Sun, some elders say, can be understood as a sign to people of the necessity to live a life in respect and harmony with all the creations that make life possible: plants, animals, waters, minerals, fires, winds, and other human beings.” https://lifeheartandsoulblog.wordpress.com/2011/02/27/rainbow-around-the-sun/
According to the prophecy, “There will come a day when people of all races, colors, and creeds will put aside their differences. They will come together in love, joining hands in unification, to heal the Earth and all Her children. They will move over the Earth like a great Whirling Rainbow, bringing peace, understanding and healing everywhere they go. Many creatures thought to be extinct or mythical will resurface at this time; the great trees that perished will return almost overnight. All living things will flourish, drawing sustenance from the breast of our Mother, the Earth.
The great spiritual Teachers who walked the Earth and taught the basics of the truths of the Whirling Rainbow Prophecy will return and walk amongst us once more, sharing their power and understanding with all. We will learn how to see and hear in a sacred manner. Men and women will be equals in the way Creator intended them to be; all children will be safe anywhere they want to go. Elders will be respected and valued for their contributions to life. Their wisdom will be sought out. The whole Human race will be called The People and there will be no more war, sickness or hunger forever.” Navajo-Hopi Prophecy of the Whirling Rainbow
I curated info from a few different sources. I have never before experienced this marvelous sky show. I watched it until it disappeared and was lucky enough to snap a few photos to remember an enchanted and precious moment in time.
When I look up, I see sky.
Fascinated, I find childlike joy in the wonderfulness of clouds; undulating, alive, and in motion.
Mares’ tails are my FAVORITE cloud formation.
(This led me down a grammar path: one tail as opposed to plural tails; hopefully I’m using proper syntax and punctuation.)
They’re a type of cirrus cloud known as cirrus uncinus. The name is derived from Latin and means “curly hooks”.
An old weather proverb goes, “Mares’ tails and mackerel scales make lofty ships to carry low sails.”
Cirrus uncinus clouds and patchy altocumulus clouds often mean that rain is on its way.
A mackerel sky is a common term for clouds made up of rows of cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds displaying an undulating, rippling pattern similar in appearance to fish scales. This is caused by high altitude atmospheric waves and can also signal changeable weather.
National Weather Service forecasted our region to receive about two inches of heavy rain along the coast, so everyone should prepare for the inevitable flooding and mudslides in the fireburned areas.
I wonder if the full Wolf Moon will affect the storm’s intensity or the total amounts of rainfall. I bet it will.
As above, so below.
Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud 